Tom Clancy · 1988 · thriller

Tom Clancy's 1988 thriller. As America and the Soviet Union race to build a laser missile-defense shield, CIA analyst Jack Ryan must protect his most vital asset - 'the Cardinal,' a spy at the very summit of the Kremlin. The struggle runs from the corridors of Moscow to a secret Soviet laser fortress in the mountains of Central Asia, where Afghan fighters are drawn into the endgame.

1. 1
   Moscow

   In Moscow, the aged Colonel Mikhail Filitov - 'the Cardinal,' America's deepest-buried spy inside the Soviet Defense Ministry - passes secrets on the Soviet laser-defense program, even as the KGB begins to close its net around him.

2. 2
   Afghanistan

   In the mountains of Afghanistan, a grieving mujahideen fighter known as the Archer wages his own holy war on the Soviet invaders, unknowingly becoming a piece in the great game between the superpowers.

3. 3
   Bright Star

   High in the ranges of Central Asia stands Bright Star, the secret Soviet laser installation at the heart of it all - and there the threads converge in a battle that will decide the fate of the Cardinal and the balance of terror.